Robinson Crusoe

"Every thrill-swept page blazes to life on the screen!"

1954 1h 30m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 103🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes★6.6IMDB · 5,170

AdventureDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The titular adventurer, after defying his parents to go to sea, survives a shipwreck and becomes a castaway on a deserted island for nearly thirty years, learning to build a new life from scratch, discovering companionship with a native man he names Friday, and eventually returning to civilisation a changed man, finding wealth and new challenges.

“Every thrill-swept page blazes to life on the screen!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Dan O'Herlihy
Robinson Crusoe
Jaime Fernández
Friday
Felipe de Alba
Captain Oberzo
Chel López
Bosun
José Chávez
Pirate
Emilio Garibay
Leader of the Mutiny

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Luis Buñuel
Writers: Luis Buñuel, Hugo Butler, Luis Alcoriza
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: Mexico, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

72 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Mexico, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Luis Buñuel, shot by Alex Phillips. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Anthony Collins. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Luis Buñuel directs. Alex Phillips behind the camera. Anthony Collins scores. Carlos Savage cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Mexico, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
372 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
5International production across 2 countries: Mexico, United States of America.
6Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
7Directed by Luis Buñuel, shot by Alex Phillips. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Anthony Collins. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Carlos Savage shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Dan O'Herlihy and Jaime Fernández and Felipe de Alba carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "Every thrill-swept page blazes to life on the screen!".
12IMDB entry: tt0044386 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Classified under 9 themes, including "mutiny", "island", "cat", "shipwreck".

The technical file

Cinematography: Alex Phillips
Original score: Anthony Collins
Editing: Carlos Savage
Makeup / hair: Armando Meyer
Sound: Galdino R. Samperio
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Budget: $350,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Robinson Crusoe (1954)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 5,170 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 6 wins & 4 nominations total

Ariel Award for Best Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Luis Buñuel

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-11-21
★ 7/10
Dan O'Herlihy is great with his portrayal of the man shipwrecked onto a tropical desert island where he must adapt to survive. Luckily, there are a few essentials he is able to salvage from his ship. A combination of guile and determination helps him establish and thrive - after a fairly rudimental fashion - for many years before he rescues a native man from a nearby island that was destined for the cannibal's pot - "Friday" (Jaime Fernández). For the most part, there is precious little dialogue - we follow "Crusoe" as he acclimatises to his life on his own, treading a fine line between madness and a stoic realisation that he is still better off alive. His nervous relationship with his eventual companion is also quite well, and enjoyably, played out and the ending - well it's true to the book, and the fact that we actually have a book tells us... This is an enjoyable adaptation of the Daniel Defoe story, it's colourfully filmed (in Mexico) and is well worth a watch.

Production companies